Emergent literacy plays a key role in the early development of reading and writing skills, providing the essential foundations for future academic achievement. It has gained more prominence due to increasing studies regarding children’s knowledge of written language before entering compulsory education. Thus, in the context of a curricular internship of Psychology in a preschool center, it became pertinent to implement a program focused on promoting emergent literacy with five-year-old children. This program relied on a previously conducted screening of literacy skills and considering the scientifically acknowledged importance of emergent literacy in the transition to elementary school and in the formal reading and writing learning. Based on the children’s needs, the program aimed to promote their phonological awareness and their representations of the functionality of reading and writing. A total of 17 sessions were carried out, each lasting approximately 90 minutes, with 23 children. One session also included the participation of caregivers. Through the comparison of pre-test and post-test scores, it was possible to observe statistically significant improvements in children’s phonological awareness and in written functionality. This work highlights the importance of promoting emergent literacy in preschool, taking children’s needs into account.

Keywords: Emergent literacy, preschool, educational psychology, phonological awareness, written functionality.